In an op-ed for the Las Vegas Sun, President Obama gave his argument for supporting the proposed minimum wage increase, which would increase the federal minimum wage rate by nearly 40% from the current rate of $7.25/hr to $10.10/hr.

In the article, the President made claims that are false. According to him, a full-time employee making $7.25/hr would be living in poverty. By the federal government’s own poverty threshold, a single person household working 40 hours a week at minimum wage is making nearly 20% more than the poverty threshold.

Second is the effects that this would have on education. A teacher in Mississippi who graduated with a bachelor’s degree will be earning an insignificant 15% more than an unskilled employee working as a drive-thru clerk or Quik Stop cashier. With this law, there will be convicted rapists and even murderers (there are thousands of convicted rapists and murderers released from prison each year), many of whom have no skill at all, earning nearly as much as the people who educate our children. While it is true that most minimum-wage workers are not convicted felons, it is a fact, however unpleasant it may be, that a vast majority of them are unskilled workers.

What incentive is there for someone to go to college? The average bachelor’s degree costs a student over $30,000 and four years of their lives. The only way people are going to get out of poverty is to become a skilled worker rather than an unskilled one, and that is done through education, not minimum wage increases. This legislation removes the incentive to go to college. If all someone had to do to raise a family is flip burgers or wash dishes, those jobs would be in much higher demand. But there’s a reason employers don’t want to pay unskilled workers wages as high as skilled workers.

Third, Obama is ignoring the harm done to the very same low-wage workers he wishes to help. Imagine a customer support call-center with 20 full-time employees, a set-up that many companies have today. This legislation will cause the business to spend over $100,000 more per year to keep all of them employed at the same hours. A smart business owner will immediately find a way to get that money back, and that means getting rid of 25% of his call center staff. Even then, it will cost them more to pay 15 employees the proposed rate than it would cost to pay 20 employees the current rate.

Also, those 5 workers would then apply for and receive the never-ending unemployment benefits, costing the federal government even more money, which it now can’t afford due to ObamaCare. The only other option the owner would have is to increase his prices, thereby causing inflation and rendering the increase useless.

Finally, why not take a look at history? The largest increase in the federal minimum wage in the last 25 years was 12%, during the Bush administration. I’m sure Republicans in Congress are far more willing to at least consider a regular increase, as the average increase since 1970 has been about 10%. The currently proposed 40% increase is ridiculous, and as has been proven multiple times would actually harm the economy.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released their study of what the proposed legislation would do to employment, and their median estimate is a loss of 500,000 jobs, and possibly up to a million. The loss of jobs would then result in less overall taxes paid to the federal government and higher benefit program costs. They also estimated that such a legislation would move at most 2% of the people currently living in poverty above the poverty line. When a 40% increase in the minimum wage only helps remove 2% of those above poverty, it becomes clear that minimum wage increases are not the solution to reducing poverty.

The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by WesternJournalism.com.

I have been around for a long time & can verify that when minimum wages rise it does low income people no good because prices rise on everything , so the pay increase does not help & actually hurts. Been there,done that!!

Quote "I have been around for a long time & can verify that when minimum wages rise it does low income people no good because prices rise on everything , so the pay increase does not help & actually hurts. Been there,done that!! "" True and in addition to this, the lack of any logic on the part of the Dorko-in-cheif reveals that not one economic brain cell exists between all his bonehead czars and he. True an increase in minimum wages will not be sufficient to make a dent in the impoverished income levels. Second, what industry and increase in orders is going to supply these wage increases? Third. what Industry and what new technology that everybody wants to pay for is situated within OUR SHORES?? Nothing! There is no source of revenues to provide for wage increases – this moron thinks that money is just going to continue to fall from the sky to provide for his massively disastrous ideas. What an idiot – Obscumbo hasnt even taken on half a minute to thinnk this one through — Oh yeah I got an increase but its not doing me any good – So the end result is the folks are going to ask for and expect more! But there is no on shore industry keeping the USA going! Except for website BS – That will get no one nowhere fast. Back to my three points, Obscumbo is an idiot. He is ignoring the negative effects of his bonehead domestic economic policy but we arent!! Remove this louse from the white house. He is a destructive moron.

No moron he. He knows exactly what he is doing. Lest one forget that in 2001 he pronounced the U.S. Constitution "a charter of negative rights" in that it limited what government could do to "We the people…" AND just five days before election day 2008 he adamantly proclaimed "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America."

Barack HUSSEIN Obama, Barry Obama, Barry Soetoro, Soebarkah or whatever the hell his real name might be is THE GREATEST THREAT America has ever faced. He has earned being immediately arrested, tried, convicted and executed for Treason, Bribery AND other High Crimes AND Misdemeanors.

Racer could not agree with you more.I feel the same way you do,this scumbag and his minions are out to destroy America.Can you imagine letting all those illegal out of jail and Holder should be tried along side of Obutthole.

What is the incentive for college and 10s of thousand of dollars in debt and a starting salary of 30-40K vs a minimum wage increase to $20K/yr. And thank God the CBO in non-partisan again, which seems to be the only department that obama has not corrupted!

We have so much evidence against Nobama so why HAVEN’T we impeached, tried and convicted him for treason? We were ready to impeach Clinton for lying about getting a BJ from an intern and this idiot has singlehandedly run this country into the ground….what’s the deal?

Hi AVK,
The deal is dirty Harry Reid is the hold up, this little creep and Nancy Pelsoi the Dingbat has been protecting Obozo's azz since day one. If congress takes a vote on impeaching the bum, then Dirty Harry will veto it. The only chance we have is to Vote OUT every democrat and get Vote OUT the Rinos who cater to Obozo and Nancy Pelsoi the Dingbat, she too must go.

The speaker of the House John B. is no help at all, he lacks courage and he easily bows to Obozo, he too must be voted OUT coming next Nov 2014.

If we can get the right people who cares about the Country, the Constitution and the American people we may stand a good chance, but most of all we need to Pray to God for mercy to please remove these crooks out.

Nobama is capable of anything including a False Flag to declare martial law, this man has proven to be a dictator through his executive orders and going over Congress's head. I don't trust him, he likes power and when his time is up Do Not be surprise if he changes the term limits through EO or a false flag to stay as our dictator for good.